How To Make: Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde or a salsa made from tomatillo's is used in a number of Hispanic dishes. A tomatillo looks like a small green tomato covered in a papery husk. They have a slightly tart, lemony flavor and are used raw in most cases. However, I like to roast them, along with the rest of the ingredients, when I make salsa verde, because it enhances the flavors. While tomatillo's are related to regular tomatoes because they are in the same family, (nightshade), it's actually more closely related to the cape gooseberry. When buying tomatillos, look for ones where the husk is starting to come off.

What You Need:

1lb of tomatillos, husks removed
1 large onion, peeled and cut in half.
4-5 cloves of garlic, not peeled
2 jalapeños or serrano peppers (serrano's are going to be spicier then jalapeños)
1/2 bunch cilantro
olive oil
salt



What To Do:

On a baking sheet, place the tomatillos, onion, garlic and peppers. Give a good drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place under the broiler for about 2 minutes, flip everything over and broiler for another 2 minutes. You want everything to blister and get some color. Then place the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and roast at 350 for about 10 minutes. This lets the onion and garlic get nice and soft.
Remove from the oven and let cool until you can handle the garlic. Squeeze the garlic from it's peel and place everything into a blender. Add the cilantro to the blender as well and begin to pulse. Once it starts going, there should be enough liquid from the olive oil and the tomatillo's to let the blender do all the work. Blend it throughly and store covered in the fridge. Use in dishes such as enchilada's or chilaquiles, or just eat it with some tortilla chips!